[OOC] YOWL: a worldbuild collaboration

_{art by Arx Lee}

"Sometimes, if you look close in that gray just before dawn, you can see their eyes shining." Grandfather leaned forward, his stool creaking, bony fingers pulling his eyes comically wider in the light of the hearth. "In the shadows between the trees, or the dark in an alley, or under your bed. The Ruse are everywhere, if you know how to look, if ya know how to listen." He tugged a drooping earlobe. "Now, most of 'em are friendly, or don't care one way or another that you're lookin' at 'em -- but you listen to your gut." His veined fist pressed against his stomach. "You start to feel queasy, or scared for no reason, or you feel like something's watchin' you with no good intention, you get away quick. You run," he flicked a hand through the air, "and you don't look back."

Premise

This is a world ruled by nature, folklore and imagination. From forests grown out of the ruins of ancient and bloody civilizations, to color-shocked cities full of graffiti skyscrapers, to white deserts hiding secrets under the sand, all share the same common elements: mystery, whimsy, and the Ruse.

Intent -- also called magic, belief, or imagination -- is a powerful element. Though the means of focusing and channeling intent may be different -- from spells and rituals to prayers and dreams -- the cause and effect remains the same. Through focused and sustained intention, a person may increase their tolerance for pain or call a thunderstorm. A group of people, guided by the same intent, could turn the tides of war or disaster.

The Ruse

The Ruse are thoughtforms that are created either by focused intent or by radical emotion. A single person may create a weak Ruse for themselves, through prolonged and sustained belief -- such as a child conjuring an imaginary friend -- or through powerful emotion, such as an abusive household creating a monster in the closet, or a violent death resulting in a ghostly presence. All these are forms of the Ruse.

Groups of people who share the same intent may create more powerful Ruse, intentionally or not. Religions create their own very real deities through the power of devoted belief -- and deities diminish in power as that belief dwindles. Wars and disasters often result in Ruse of a dangerous sort, borne of the combined terror of hundreds. Benevolent Ruse, similarly, may rise out of joyful festivals and happy events.

The Ruse could be anything: a personal imaginary presence, an animal familiar, a ghost, a fairy, an unusual tree -- or a colossal tortoise, a mountain giant made of stone, a dragon that lives on an island that floats in the sky. Each of them originated as intent, and each will weaken and become shades of their former existence if starved for attention. A monster that terrorizes a city will become more powerful as people continue to feed it their fear.
A deity will protect a city from harm as long as the people believe in it.

This is Not an RP

Yep, there's no RP here. At least, I don't plan to mod anything and I've got no story to tell.

This is a premise from which to create characters and worldbuild -- maybe together we can tell stories from a larger perspective, working off of each other's characters, locations and monsters to end up with something tangible and unique. There's no pressure to post, no paragraph obligation, just a sounding board for stories and ideas.

So How Would This Work, Exactly?

Post a finished article, character sheet, short story, or chapter that is about the collaborative world or takes place within it. Create and name a new monster, describe an island of your own making, create a language or a culture, or just tell the story of an average person who lives there. As more articles are posted, the world broadens to inspire and seed future ideas.

Some Ground Rules

• Please do not bring in your prefabricated worldbuilds. Do not try to strongarm your fully realized worlds into this one -- no matter how you frame it, it will be obvious. Create something fresh and new and impressionable and free of assumptions.
• Anything you do not explicitly state in writing is open to interpretation and expansion by others. It's hard sometimes, but try to avoid getting extremely attached to your own vision. Keep an open mind. If other players are inspired by what you write, try to be encouraging rather than tell them why they're wrong.
• The GM has final say. On the other side of that coin, this sort of thing can run off the rails very quickly (especially if/when players don't abide by rule #1). If something absolutely positively wrecks the world's consistency, I'll point it out and try to help solve it.
• Go with the fantastic and whimsical wherever you can. Use weird, magic-powered technology. Create a small country ruled by a penguin. Create a character whose farmhouse life is entirely average except for the fact that the farm is on a flying island. Any mundane ideas will be subject to aggressive ridiculousness. You have been warned.

It will be my job to tie things together, create some kind of consistency, and plot locations on an eventual map. I promise to respond to everything, to ask questions, to add ideas, and to ensure everything is grounded in the same principles.

Submissions

Anyone can jump in and submit characters, organizations, locations, historical events, or even snippets of writing that take place in the world -- anything that inspires you!

• All articles may be posted either to the OOC for discussion, or directly to the "Characters" tab, or both. To allow text to be easily searchable, please only put pictures under hiders. Everything else should be outside the hider.
• Place a mention at the bottom of your article for any players whose ideas (in the OOC or in other articles) you incorporated into your post, or at least those with the most influence.
• Upon acceptance into canon, a link to the article will be added to Post Zero in the Characters tab.
• Even after acceptance, posts may be edited and expanded upon.
• Unfinished articles or ideas may not be added to the main compendium, but may be canonized as inspiration for future articles. If you need help polishing your idea, give a shout!
• The IC tab may be utilized in the future. We'll see how this goes first!

These procedures may be edited as we go!

Collaborative Maps

Go to https://inkarnate.com/users/sign_in and log in as the following:

email: [e-mail]
password: rpguild2

Feel free to edit existing maps or to create your own! Save finished maps and upload to imgur to add to posts in the thread.

[Mokley]

We're open for posting! :D

[Polybius]

Oh man, the gears are already turning. My first article will be Null Towers, ancient ruins left by an old civilization that feared The Ruse. Some of the towers are still operational and can hinder or completely negate the ruse.

Edit: just saw you were looking for characters first!

[Arawak]

But alas, the null towers are always under siege by immensely massive Barkolopus, centipede shaped entities with bark-like skin and green, fluid eyes which line across it. Their many limbs skittering across the vast, rolling hills and dunes of the realm seeking ethereal energies for nourishment. They are ultimately mindless beings, whose sprawling size has become host to whole societies dwelling on their backs.

Is this doing it right?

[Mokley]

Oh man, the gears are already turning. My first article will be Null Towers, ancient ruins left by an old civilization that feared The Ruse. Some of the towers are still operational and can hinder or completely negate the ruse.

Edit: just saw you were looking for characters first!

@Polybius

Characters don't necessarily have to be first! Go nuts!

Love the towers idea, sounds like a great setup for an epic plot. I could see some nomad tribes maybe making use of those operational towers for protection -- or avoiding them to protect their deities.

But alas, the null towers are always under siege by immensely massive Barkolopus, centipede shaped entities with bark-like skin and green, fluid eyes which line across it. Their many limbs skittering across the vast, rolling hills and dunes of the realm seeking ethereal energies for nourishment. They are ultimately mindless beings, whose sprawling size has become host to whole societies dwelling on their backs.

Is this doing it right?

@Arawak

Haha Barkolopus, perfect! Nice touch with the villages on their backs. I can see them in the desert, or hidden in the boggy hills.

Sure, definitely shout out ideas -- but nothing's canon until it's posted in the Characters tab and linked to Post Zero. ;D

Maybe I should add another rule or so, to credit others whose ideas you incorporated into your article?

[Mokley]

@Wardian Hey that's some good stuff! So the Krull are essentially ghostly beings? I imagine them effortlessly stopping hearts or driving people mad en masse. Most interesting is that they were defeated before, but have risen again. Why? Where do they come from? And is there a way to be rid of them for good?

(also loving the little worldbuild details peppered in -- places, organizations, historical references -- jumping points for further development for sure)

[SepticGentleman]

Gutterfolk.

Gutterfolk are small, genderless, humanoid creatures that reside in nearly any environment with sufficient trash, refuse, or similar elements. They are non-aggressive, energetic beings with a strange affinity for collecting manmade clothes and wearing them at all times. Gutterfolk are believed to have first originated as a result of a Ruse - or collective of multiple Ruse - condemning an entire village into a massive sinkhole, burying its inhabitants beneath the heaps of garbage that had accumulated there. Following thus, Gutterfolk began to emerge from the trash heap and spread about the land. Nowadays, people mostly consider them to be a nuisance equatable to rats, only larger. On rare occasions, however, they are kept as companions/pets.

[Mokley]

@SepticGentleman Hahaha this is an awesome twist on an otherwise tragic disaster. The best kind.

Maybe there could be more to that tragedy that turned the original villagers this way. Hmmm.

If ya poke this over to the characters tab we can totally canonize it!

[SepticGentleman]

@SepticGentleman Hahaha this is an awesome twist on an otherwise tragic disaster. The best kind.

Maybe there could be more to that tragedy that turned the original villagers this way. Hmmm.

If ya poke this over to the characters tab we can totally canonize it!

@Mokley

Gotcha.

Maybe whatever Ruse caused the disaster isn't around anymore because he/she/it turned the only people who acknowledged it into tiny, cackling troglodytes, who don't even know what Ruse are anymore.

[Mokley]

<Snipped quote by Mokley>

Gotcha.

Maybe whatever Ruse caused the disaster isn't around anymore because he/she/it turned the only people who acknowledged it into tiny, cackling troglodytes, who don't even know what Ruse are anymore.

@SepticGentleman

Karma. Best answer ever.

But are these the only ones? Do they reproduce? Do they die? Do they split themselves into two now and then? Or maybe one hibernates in a trash heap and three come out in spring?

[SepticGentleman]

<Snipped quote by SepticGentleman>

Karma. Best answer ever.

But are these the only ones? Do they reproduce? Do they die? Do they split themselves into two now and then? Or maybe one hibernates in a trash heap and three come out in spring?

@Mokley

I figured they'd breed like fowl or insects in some bizarre reproductive evolution and randomly shit out pseudo-egg-like lumps to be fertilized, and then out come the little ones to scatter and eat whatever's in sight.

[Mokley]

@Arawak My brain keeps coming back to your creatures, haha. Especially a legendary city that no one can find because it's on this thing's back. Any interest in developing them further? ;)

@SepticGentleman Perfect, of course! Certainly they should make random, offhanded appearances in several unrelated articles. *nods sagely*

[SepticGentleman]

@Arawak My brain keeps coming back to your creatures, haha. Especially a legendary city that no one can find because it's on this thing's back. Any interest in developing them further? ;)

@SepticGentleman Perfect, of course! Certainly they should make random, offhanded appearances in several unrelated articles. *nods sagely*

@Mokley

If at any point any character in any happenstance is wearing a hat or some other sort of easily removable headgear, a Gutterfolk will surely attempt to steal it.

[Arawak]

Alright, introduced my baseline element officially. Sorta a cosmology within a cosmology with the Barkolopus.

Aetherial energy hasn't been defined in any shape or form by the way.

[Wardian]

Edited Darian Dangerfinger to include a gutterfolk sighting. :3

[ChickenTeriyaki]

---

In an unidentified corner of the massive world lies a city dominantly known as Loris City. In the city, all activity is quiet and uninterrupted. Creativity is a rare concept, as not a trace of it is to be found in the city.

Creativity, you say?

In the city of Loris, creativity does not even exist. The unexpecting citizens do not believe there to be more to their daily lives, as they perform their daily tasks robotically. Art, music, and sports are unheard of, as if they are meaningless words from a foreign language from a land never to be heard of. The very concept of these artistic pursuits does not make sense to the Lorisian citizen. During the very founding days of Loris City, citizens were conditioned into thinking that there would be nothing beyond the city itself. Soon, as Loris' population rose, the Ruse produced by such a way of thinking became more and more powerful. Soon enough, the Lorisian citizen would not be able to grasp the very concept of such outlandish concepts, should a wayward traveler attempt to introduce them. Curiosity is considered as the deadliest of vices to ever be possessed by a Lorisian Citizen.

Unfortunately, no such traveler would be able to enter. Loris City is protected by its ever expanding boundaries. At the edge of the boundary sits the Gatekeepers. These individuals possess immense power. It was said that one of them could wipe out the entire Lorisian civilization. The Gatekeepers guarded the boundaries with ease, and it was not in the mindset of the Lorisian citizen to trespass the boundaries. In fact, none of them even thought of doing it.

However, the Lorisian people did have mythology. They believed in the Reaper, one who would bring death to those who did not fulfill their daily duties. The very thought of the Reaper struck fear into the heart of every citizen.

Fear.

Fear was the only emotion that a Lorisian citizen would ever get to feel. Fear from the authorities. Fear from the reaper. Such fear and lack of curiosity gave power to the Ruse that made artistic pursuits nonexistent for the Lorisian citizen. Progress, as the authorities dubbed it, was uncapped. The population grew, and the boundaries expanded.

Welcome to Loris City.

---

A businessman sit behind his table. He wore a tuxedo on top of his white polo shirt, along with a pair of black pants and black shoes; His office uniform. Everyday, he wake up, have breakfast, and walk up to his office. In his room, beside his desk, there was a large window. From there, he would see several people working in the production of bread. Sandwiches were the common staple for a citizen, and they tasted the same always.

Just then, the man heard a knock on the door. No, not a knock, but a series of knocks. The knock was monotonous and repetitive, somehow resembling the man's daily life. The man walked up to the door and opened it, revealing the guise of a fine gentleman. His clothes were identical to that of the businessman's, except that he wore a hat and was carrying a suitcase. The gentleman began to speak.

"Good evening, Bob Meyer."

"Good evening sir. Have you come to check on our daily quota?"

"I do not care for such trivial things, my friend. Such a statistic only plays a small part in the request of my client, who holds me with great esteem. I have much more important business to accomplish here, Bob Meyer."

"That is reassuring to me, sir. May I please request your name?"

The gentleman smiled, revealing an assortment of wrinkles that defined a deftly-crafted disguise. Indeed, the gentleman had much more to do, for his duty was more important than Bob Meyer's was.

"They call me The Reaper "

---

The following day, the name Bob Meyer would be found on a large list placed on a wall located in the City Hall. It read:

LIST OF DECEASED CITIZENS AS OF FRIDAY, JUNE 117

Similarly, another man who went by the name of Counselor Mark Awanson would be in the middle of a phone call.

"Excellent work. Soon, we will be working hand in hand in order to terraform the very world as we see it."

"Indeed. I used to believe that such a mutual pact to be painstaking to make, but seeing that we both reap the rewards from our work, I choose to believe that we are receiving the rewards of our work accordingly."

"You've been very productive over the past few weeks, sir. I accolade you."

"My pleasure."

Counselor Mark Awanson hung up. A slight smile spread across his face. He was very pleased by the current flow of events.

Meanwhile, a young girl lay asleep in bed.

Far, far away, a hooded traveler walked the hills. A necklace dangled from her neck, as it glowed a vibrant blue. The traveler was surrounded by a vibrant palette of colors, although she did not give them much notice. She then turned towards her companion, who happened to be a towering stone golem.

"I've sure missed out on a lot, haven't I?"

---

@Mokley
Here we see the lovechild of Lois Lowry's The Giver and Lucid Games' The Lost Heir Trilogy. The influence from the latter will become visible sooner.

[ChickenTeriyaki]

@Mokley

Are character interactions allowed?

[Crawkid]

I'll just submit the concept of a character I guess?

A woman who has had a powerful imagination since being a kid. Traveled around a lot as a kid. Has two Ruse? Both are mostly invisible. One projects feelings of stalking the woman, and incites fear. He's followed her from house to house, but she's so used to him now she just calls him an asshole and smokes the house with sage whenever he "acts up" (created from stress of moving and fear of new things as a kid?)

And a woman who also follows her as she moves around, but is much more passive through-out the day. The time she "acts up" by inciting fear, is when this character is around reflective surfaces, as she has a sort of phobia about mirrors. She appears as a copy of this character, but with red eyes. Sometimes she'll appear in the reflection behind the character, or she'll move in a more rushed manner as the character passes a mirror/reflective surface.

---------------
Also I like the idea of those towers as well...and my thoughts go that going there would possibly be a philosopher's journey. Its dangerous and incredibly difficult because of the high winds, sandstorms, Barkolopus, and constantly shifting sands. But it is said that there is a man who has found eternal life who sits patiently waiting at the top of one of the towers...to offer guidance and a nice cup of tea to whoever actually finds him.

roleplayerguild.com/topics/164301-yow…
roleplayerguild.com/topics/164301-yow…

(just collecting related stuff here)

[Shift]

I see that there's already a lot that's been submitted! I'm pretty excited to get started and contribute to this, but it'll have to be during this weekend sometime that I make my first post. Just wanted to let you know, incase you were wondering.

Everything looks pretty dope so far.

[Zealous Blade]

The Stellar Express

His home was a wreck and he just wanted to get away. So, when the night was right, he finally went through with it. Leaving everything behind Edwin took off into the darkness and did not dare glimpse back. He had no destination in mind. Wherever he ended up was where he ended up. Anything was better than being driven mad by those who were supposed to care about him the most.

Hours passed and the woods which blanketed Edwin from the moon's light dissipated. A field stretched out before him, the slight breeze tilting its grass. It was then that he was first able to appreciate the stars in the night sky, how they sprinkled its black canvas like glitter. Edwin kept his head up for as long as his neck would support it. Once he was satisfied, he started to rest his gaze.

Rocketing his eyes back up was the howl of a whistle followed by the screech of...brakes? Edwin was petrified by disbelief as descending from the sky, taking form from a swarm of tiny lights, was what appeared to be a steam engine pulling a line of coaches. The train came to a stop right before him and the door to one of its many coaches opened. Edwin peered inside to see if there were any passengers. No one greeted him.

Edwin remained motionless for well over fifteen minutes. The train did not move.

"Fine," he conceded.

Would he regret his next decision? Only time had the answer. Reminding himself that he had nothing to lose he climbed into the coach. The door gently closed behind him and the train started.

As he settled into his seat, the soft leather massaging the tense nerves in his back, Edwin lost the apprehension he felt. He looked out the window and watched as the field passed him by. Tiredness overtook him and his eyes creaked shut. He was sure he would be fine no matter where the train was headed.

"Welcome," a nurturing voice crawled into his ear. "Enjoy your trip."

---

There is a field on which no building may stand, in which no tree may grow. A field where hundreds of people have allegedly vanished over the years. While no one knows the exact reason behind this phenomenon, local townsfolk have frequently reported the passing of a train in the thick of the night. Strange as no tracks run through the area.

The next day a bed that should have been slept in is found empty and another community is left wondering why.

Over the years a sort of folktale has sprung. They say that a train sent from the heavens drops onto the earth to pick up those who truly feel displaced and to take them where they are meant to be. However, this is only a tale crafted from the mouths of the superstitious and bolstered into theory by the need for an explanation.

Those who remain do not know if there is really a train that stops in the field affectionately named the Station of the Taken by locals. They aren't too eager to find out either as all of its trips have been one way.

[Mokley]

Alright, introduced my baseline element officially. Sorta a cosmology within a cosmology with the Barkolopus.

Aetherial energy hasn't been defined in any shape or form by the way.

@Arawak

I was about to ask about aetherial energy when I saw this comment, haha! I want to say, perhaps, that whatever it is that gives the Ruse form and magic spells their power is also the thing that the Barkolopus devours -- but if the Barkolopus is a ruse, itself, then ...? That's a pickle. Unless it's NOT a Ruse, but something else entirely, and it eats the Ruse and magic in general.

---

@ChickenTeriyaki This is really interesting. So, the workaholic people with such a lack of creativity are unable to imagine anything but their fears, which gives power to the very spell that is keeping them this way. But then there's this plan and ulterior motive, and who's that traveler? So many questions! I could see this existing -- feel free to drop it into the Characters tab.

Are character interactions allowed?

@ChickenTeriyaki

I'm not sure what you mean by that? Interactions with your own characters? Of course! Interactions with characters in other players' articles? Maybe PM that player about a collaboration. RPing in the world in general? Not sure yet -- I think it'd be too muddy to open the IC as a free-for-all RP, but I'll encourage and link any separate RPs that might use this concept.

To keep things tidy, at least for now, if you guys wanted to collaborate on a story I'd keep it within one post. I'm not at all sure that was your question, haha.

---

I'll just submit the concept of a character I guess?

A woman who has had a powerful imagination since being a kid. Traveled around a lot as a kid. Has two Ruse? Both are mostly invisible. One projects feelings of stalking the woman, and incites fear. He's followed her from house to house, but she's so used to him now she just calls him an asshole and smokes the house with sage whenever he "acts up" (created from stress of moving and fear of new things as a kid?)

And a woman who also follows her as she moves around, but is much more passive through-out the day. The time she "acts up" by inciting fear, is when this character is around reflective surfaces, as she has a sort of phobia about mirrors. She appears as a copy of this character, but with red eyes. Sometimes she'll appear in the reflection behind the character, or she'll move in a more rushed manner as the character passes a mirror/reflective surface.

---------------
Also I like the idea of those towers as well...and my thoughts go that going there would possibly be a philosopher's journey. Its dangerous and incredibly difficult because of the high winds, sandstorms, Barkolopus, and constantly shifting sands. But it is said that there is a man who has found eternal life who sits patiently waiting at the top of one of the towers...to offer guidance and a nice cup of tea to whoever actually finds him.

@Crawkid

Yeess this sort of haunting is one of the staples of the concept of the Ruse -- reminds me of Bloody Mary. Burning sage is a nice touch -- Witchcraft is definitely a huge influence, and is definitely real in this universe. I'd love to see this character developed more, or let us know where you'd want to go with it!

Your idea of the guy on the tower reminded me of this painting, by Cosimo Galluzzi:

---

@Zealous Blade This is awesome! Definitely interested to see where this train goes -- my bet is something nefarious, but maybe it's connected to another location that seems completely unrelated. This concept of a train for people who've given up or are dissatisfied with life reminds me of something but I can't put my finger on it. Either way, this is great!